dutch

1.adjectiveB1

Definition

coming from the northwestern European country of the Netherlands — for example, its language, its traditions, or things produced there.

Example

Harper bought a painting by a famous Dutch artist at the gallery.

collocation: Dutch artist

Ada's grandfather still makes traditional Dutch cheese on his farm.

collocation: Dutch cheese

Common collocations

Dutch government
Dutch company
Dutch art
Dutch cheese
Dutch culture
Dutch history
Dutch painter

Synonyms

Netherlands
used as a noun, not an adjective; 'the Netherlands government' is less natural than 'the Dutch government'
Holland
informal name for the Netherlands, though technically refers to only two provinces
Flemish
specifically refers to the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, not the whole Netherlands

Grammar Patterns

Dutch + noun

Usage Note

Usually appears before a noun (attributive position). Cannot be used as a noun to refer to a single person — use 'a Dutch person' or the nationality adjective after a linking verb: 'She is Dutch.'

Common Mistakes

She is from Dutch.

She is from the Netherlands.

'Dutch' is an adjective, not the name of the country. Use 'the Netherlands' as the country name.

I love Dutchs.

I love Dutch things.' or 'I love the Dutch.

'Dutch' as an adjective has no plural form.

Idioms

go Dutch (with somebody)

idiom

To split the bill equally between two or more people.

Maya and I decided to go Dutch on our dinner.

Did you go Dutch with Brian at the concert last night?

1.nounB1

Definition

the main language that people use in the Netherlands, and that many people also speak in northern Belgium.

Example

Nikhil can understand written Dutch but struggles with spoken conversations.

collocation: understand written Dutch vs spoken Dutch

Élise had to translate the email from Dutch into French for her manager.

pattern: from Dutch into [language]

Common collocations

speak Dutch
learn Dutch
in Dutch
from Dutch
into Dutch
Dutch speaker
Dutch language

Synonyms

Flemish
the variety of Dutch spoken in Belgium's Flanders region, sometimes treated as a separate name
Nederlands
the name for the language in Dutch itself; occasionally used in English academic contexts

Grammar Patterns

speak Dutch

in Dutch

from Dutch

into Dutch

Usage Note

Uncountable — cannot be used with 'a' or in plural ('a Dutch,' 'two Dutchs'). To refer to one specific variety, use 'a dialect of Dutch' or 'a form of Dutch.'

Common Mistakes

I speak Netherlandish.

I speak Dutch.

The language is called 'Dutch,' not 'Netherlandish' or 'Netherlands.'

I know a few Dutchs.

I know a few Dutch words.

'Dutch' as a language is uncountable; do not add -s.

2.nounB1

Definition

the people who come from the Netherlands, thought of as a single group.

Example

The Dutch are famous for their cycling culture and well-kept bike paths.

pattern: the Dutch are famous for [something]

Takeshi learned that the Dutch often celebrate Sinterklaas on December the fifth.

cultural reference: Sinterklaas celebration

Common collocations

the Dutch
the Dutch people
the Dutch are known for
among the Dutch

Synonyms

Netherlanders
formal and somewhat dated; rarely used in everyday conversation
Hollanders
informal; technically refers only to people from the Holland provinces, not all of the Netherlands

Grammar Patterns

the Dutch + plural verb

Usage Note

Always used with the definite article ('the Dutch') and a plural verb. Cannot refer to one person — for a single individual, use 'a Dutch person,' 'a Dutch man,' or 'a Dutch woman.'

Common Mistakes

A Dutch is my colleague.

A Dutch person is my colleague.' or 'My colleague is Dutch.

'the Dutch' is plural only; for one person, use an adjective + noun structure.

The Dutch is very friendly.

The Dutch are very friendly.

Always takes a plural verb.

Word family

Netherlands
nounB1
Dutchman
nounB2
Dutchwoman
nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Dutch is the standard English word for anything from the Netherlands. Flemish refers specifically to the variety of Dutch spoken in Belgium's Flanders region and its associated culture — you might say 'a Flemish dialect' but never 'Flemish cheese' for cheese from the Netherlands. Netherlandish is a rare, formal term mostly found in art history writing about 15th- to 17th-century painters from the Low Countries. Holland is widely used as an informal name for the Netherlands, though strictly it covers only two of the country's twelve provinces. To stay natural, use Dutch for everyday reference: 'a Dutch airline,' 'Dutch food,' or 'a Dutch colleague.'

Dutch ↗FlemishNetherlandishHolland ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

speak Dutch
learn Dutch
the Dutch
a Dutch person

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld DutchMiddle DutchEnglish

The word 'Dutch' comes from Middle Dutch 'duutsch' (modern Dutch 'Duits'), which in earlier times meant 'of the people' or 'popular' — from a Proto-Germanic root *þiudiskaz meaning 'of the people.' In Old English it was used for any Germanic language or people, but from the 17th century onward it became more specifically tied to the Netherlands, while 'German' took over the broader meaning.

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dutch

dutch — adjective

1. coming from the northwestern European country of the Netherlands — for example,

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

go Dutch (with somebody)

dutch — noun

1. the main language that people use in the Netherlands, and that many people also

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. the people who come from the Netherlands, thought of as a single group.

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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